


Standing and Waiting as the Clock Ticks and Tocks

by myglassesaredirty



Series: Parenting is Hard [2]
Category: Psych
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode: s05e16 Yang 3 in 2D, F/M, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Mother-Son Relationship, Protectiveness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-09
Updated: 2019-01-09
Packaged: 2019-10-07 08:47:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17362817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myglassesaredirty/pseuds/myglassesaredirty
Summary: Maddy is terrified for her son. She ignores what Henry told her, and she runs back to the house. She can't see Shawn. Neither can Henry. They're doomed to wait until they get the news.





	Standing and Waiting as the Clock Ticks and Tocks

**Author's Note:**

> Guys, this is the one Dawn wanted. I offered to write some fluffier stuff, but this is the one she requested. This is her fault.
> 
> However, I don't think she knew what she asked for.

When Madeleine Spencer is stressed, she bakes. She’s always done it, and she always will do it. That will be one of the very few things in her life that will never change, just like the color of her eyes and the shape of her nose.

 

But right now, she can’t bake. She’s at such a high level of stress that the thought of baking, of even  _ smelling  _ food makes her want to vomit. Her hands shake when she reaches for her cell phone, and she doesn’t know why she presses Henry’s name when she could just call Shawn, but she needs to hear Henry’s voice, the same gruffness that will tell her that everything is okay.

 

“Maddy? What is it? Are you alright?” Henry’s voice is frantic, a word that Maddy has only assigned to Henry twice in the entire time she’s known him.

 

Maddy nods. “I’m just worried about Shawn. Is he alright?”

 

Henry sighs heavily, and Maddy envisions him rubbing his forehead with his free hand, and she just  _ knows _ that he’s shaking his head. “Um, Mad…Shawn’s locked inside the house. Karen called for the ram, but…we don’t know how long it’ll take, and he’s trapped inside there with Yin.”

 

Maddy stands up and grabs her purse. “I’m coming over.”

 

“What? No. No, you’re not. You’re safe at the house. Just stay there.”

 

“Henry, if Shawn’s in danger…”

 

“He is!” Henry shouts, and Maddy hears the fear dripping from his voice. It sounds suspiciously like tears. “He’s in danger, and I can’t– I can’t  _ do _ a damn fucking thing, and our son is  _ trapped _ in there, and everything in me wants to go in there, but we don’t know how. We–” Henry sighs again, and his breath catches. “I smashed a window to the basement, Maddy. There’s bars on the window. The door is locked heavily. We can’t get in.” Henry chokes on a sob. “I can’t protect him as long as he’s in there, Mad.”

 

“Henry, I’m coming.”

 

“No! At least I know you’re safe there. If I lose Shawn, I can’t lose you, too.” He sighs again, and when he speaks again, his voice sounds defeated. “I’m not strong enough to handle that.”

 

Maddy locks the front door behind her and blinks back her tears. “You won’t lose me, Henry.”

 

“Maddy…”

 

“Henry!” Maddy says, stomping her foot. She switches her phone to her other ear and starts jogging in the direction of the house that she barely remembers some twenty-five years later. “I need to be there. He’s just as much my son as he is yours. Surely, you understand.”

 

Even over the phone, she can hear him gulp. “I know,” he whispers. Someone barks orders at him, and Henry swears at them. The officer – must be a rookie, Maddy decides – apologizes. “I feel like, just by being close, maybe it’ll be enough to protect him. Like maybe, just by sheer force of will, I can put up a bubble around him and make sure that he’s safe.”

 

Maddy nods and starts running. The house is three blocks away, but it feels like a hundred miles. She could be standing right outside the house, and she’ll still never be close enough to her baby. “I just need to be there, Henry.”

 

“You know, Gus is in there, too,” Henry says casually, almost like bringing up the weather, but Maddy can hear the strain in his voice, the way he struggles to keep his voice calm. He loved –  _ loves, _ Maddy mentally corrects – Gus nearly as much as he loves Shawn. Gus was the obedient son Henry never had, and while Henry wouldn’t trade Shawn for the world, he loved Gus like a second child.

 

Maddy licks her lips and tries to keep from panting. She can see the lineup of police cars, and no police barriers are going to stop her. She needs to be at that house. “Gus is in there?”

 

There’s a bit of silence on the other end, and Henry seems to remember that she can’t see him yet. “Yep.” He sighs, and Maddy supposes that he can’t find the words for a while because the line is silent, save for Henry’s heavy breathing. “Dammit,” Henry finally says. “This– this really can’t get much worse, can it?” he laughs bitterly. “We have to get  _ Yang _ to help us out.”

 

Maddy stops jogging, and her muscles tense at the sound of Yang’s name. “She’s there.”

 

“According to Juliet, she’s the only chance we’ve got.”

 

Maddy grits her teeth. “I don’t trust that woman.”

 

“There’d be something seriously wrong with you if you did.”

 

“Or do they not remember that she kidnapped me and another girl just to mess with our son?”

 

“Look, Madeleine, while I hate her passionately, she does have some twisted romantic interest in Shawn. If she can stop something from happening to Shawn, she’ll try.”

 

Maddy glances around her and starts jogging towards the house. She can see the police barriers now, and Buzz guards the barriers. In the flashing red and blue, she catches a glimpse of Henry’s head. “How do we know she’s not on Yin’s side? We don’t know what Yin looks like. He could have visited her in the facility.”

 

Henry shakes his head and looks up, finally catching Maddy’s blonde hair. “I told you not to come,” he says defeatedly.

 

“And you knew there was no way of stopping me,” she retorts. “Just get Buzz to let me in.” She hangs up the phone and nearly sprints the rest of the way to the barriers, watching as Henry taps Buzz’s shoulder and tells him to let Maddy inside the barriers, or else. When Maddy gets there, panting but otherwise fine, Buzz quickly adjusts the barriers to let Maddy get inside.

 

Henry pulls her into his arms and holds her tightly as soon as she’s inside. She buries her face into his shoulder, breathing in his cologne. He presses his cheek to her hair and rubs her back, but Maddy knows his “drawing strength” hug when she gets it. He needs her right now. He can’t be strong for much longer.

 

“Please tell me he’s going to be okay,” she whispers.

 

Henry removes one hand from her back and presses his thumb and index finger into his eyes. “I don’t know, Mad.” He nods quickly and pulls her closer, like that’s somehow possible. “I pray to God he’ll be okay.”

 

Maddy sniffs and presses her forehead to his collarbone. “Please just say it,” she whispers, barely loud enough for him to hear. “I just need to hear you say it.”

 

“He’s going to be okay, Maddy.”

 

Maddy pulls back from the hug and cups Henry’s face with her hands. “No matter what happens,” she says softly, searching his eyes, “you and Shawn are always going to be the two most important people in my life.”

 

Henry nods and grabs her hand, rubbing his thumb across the back of her hand. He licks his lips and tries to force a smile, but the corner of his mouth barely turns up, and his eyes are still filled with fear. “Not even William?”

 

“You know we broke up.” She smiles softly and shakes her head. “You always say you and Shawn are so different, but you don’t realize just how similar you two are, hiding behind your fear with a joke.”

 

Henry shakes his head. “No,” he says. “He’s– you raised him to be such a great person.”

 

“You had something to do with it, you know.”

 

Henry nods and gently kisses her cheek. “I feel so far away from him right now,” he whispers. “I’m in the front yard, literally twenty seconds away from him, but –” he shakes his head. “Unless he’s right next to me, I won’t stop feeling that way.”

 

Maddy grabs his other hand and gently leads him towards the house. “We’ll wait together.” She breathes in shakily. “And if our little boy comes out in a plastic bag, then…then we’ll get through it together.”

 

Henry pulls her close to his side and keeps his eyes trained on a window up in the second story. “I’d bet anything that he’s up there,” he says, nodding to a dimly lit window. There are others that are more brightly lit, but Maddy has a feeling that Henry’s right, that their son is trapped up there with Gus.

 

“How will we –”

 

Henry shakes his head. “We won’t.”

 

Juliet walks out of the cellar, gripping a young blonde girl by the arm. Both girls have blood running down their faces, but the other girl looks worse for the wear. Juliet passes her off to Detective Lassiter and motions for Henry. “Listen, Henry, if you want to get to your son, then come with me.”

 

Henry glances at Maddy, and she gently pushes him forward.  _ “Go,” _ she says. “At least you’ll be with Juliet.”

 

He takes her face in his hands and gently kisses her. “I love you, Madeleine,” he says. “I never stopped.”

 

She nods and kisses him again. “I know. I love you, too.” She smiles and cups his cheek. “That’s why I broke up with William in the first place.”

 

Henry stares at her for a moment longer and runs after Juliet.

 

Maddy reaches up and starts playing with her necklace. Her fingers rub the pearl until it feels warm, and then she pulls the necklace up to her lips and rubs the pearl across her lips, her eyes trained on the dimly lit window.

 

“No!”

 

Every officer on the site freezes, and their eyes slowly move to the dimly lit window. Maddy feels like the air has been knocked out of her lungs, as if this cold, dark hand grabbed her lungs and squeezed.

 

_ Shawn’s still alive. _

 

Her triumphant thought is met with sadness merely one second later.

 

_ But Gus is dead. _

 

She licks her lips and stalks towards Detective Lassiter. “Detective, you better –”

 

“We’re working on it, Dr. Spencer. The battering ram has almost broken through the door. I’m sure Detective O’Hara and your husband have found them by now.”

 

Maddy takes an accusatory step forward and jabs her finger into Lassiter’s vest. “What the  _ hell _ happened to Yang?”

 

Lassiter shifts his weight uncomfortably. “We– we don’t know. O’Hara didn’t give us any word when she came out.” He furrows his brow and gently squeezes Maddy’s bicep. “Your husband and son are going to be just fine.”

 

“How do you know?” she shouts at him.

 

“Two reasons: your husband won’t let anything happen to Shawn if he has any say in it, and Detective O’Hara is the best partner I’ve ever had. She’ll get Shawn out of there, especially with Henry helping her.” He sighs and shakes his head. “Right now, Henry is the best partner she could have.”

 

A gunshot sounds off.

 

Civilian or not, there is  _ no way _ that Maddy’s going to stay outside on the lawn while her husband and son are still in that house. Buzz catches the way Maddy prepares to storm inside and grabs her around the waist, holding her back while the other officers rush inside.

 

It takes too long. Her heart pounds, and her eyes stay trained on the dim window, begging God with every part of her soul that Henry and Shawn are safe. She sees nothing else. Just that window.

 

**

 

Henry pushes past Juliet. She still hasn’t lowered her gun, and her eyes are on fire. If Yin wasn’t already dead, she would have shot him again. As it stands, her gun shakes in her hands, and her index finger twitches, brushing the trigger.

 

Henry glances at Shawn. Shawn frantically scooches his chair closer to Gus, but Gus remains still. His eyes are wide open, his mouth is ajar, but every part of him screams “dead” to Henry. Shawn knows this, but no part of him wants to accept it.

 

Lassiter is the first officer to get up the stairs. When he bursts into the room, his eyes sweep the scene, and he evaluates the crime scene and orders everything by importance:

First, Gus is dead. No gunshot wound, but his sleeve is rolled up, and Lassiter would imagine that if he took a step closer, he’d see a little prick in Gus’s skin.

Second, Spencer is still alive, and he’s frantic, trying to break free from the zip ties.

Third, Yin is dead. Gunshot wound to the head.

Fourth, O’Hara still hasn’t lowered her gun, and her finger tightens over the trigger.

 

Lassiter grabs the barrel of the pistol and lowers it. “O’Hara,” he says, making sure she looks him in the eyes. “He’s dead. You don’t need to shoot him again.”

 

Juliet exhales slowly and nods, letting Lassiter take her gun.

 

Meanwhile, Henry digs in his pocket and pulls out his Swiss Army Knife. He kneels next to Shawn’s chair and cuts the ties. Shawn hangs his head, and his shoulders rise and fall as he sobs. As soon as his son is free, Henry reaches forward, cups Shawn’s neck, and pulls him forward.

 

“You’re alive,” he breathes. “You’re alive.”

 

Shawn wraps his arms tightly around Henry’s neck, buries his face into his father’s shoulder, and weeps. Snot runs down his nose and stains Henry’s shirt, but Henry literally couldn’t care less about a ruined shirt. Shawn is here. Shawn is alive.

 

**

 

Henry emerges from the broken-down door. His eyes are weary, but he’s holding Shawn up, practically dragging him outside of the house. Shawn tries to get past his father, screams for Gus, but Juliet helps Henry get Shawn out of the house.

 

Shawn turns around and sees his mom, and she rushes forward, not even noticing that Buzz let go of her. She wraps her arms around her baby, and she can tell that he’s trying not to cry, but he can’t be strong for much longer. Maddy rubs slow circles on Shawn’s back and tries to tell him that there was nothing he could have done.

 

Shawn pulls away and swipes at his eyes. “You’re wrong,” he says bitterly, forcing a smile. For the first time, it doesn’t reach his eyes. “I’m supposed to be a psychic, Mom. I should have seen this coming.” He sniffles and rubs his nose. “Gus is dead because of me. Gus –”

 

Henry steps forward and pulls his son into his arms. Shawn collapses in his father’s embrace and clutches Henry’s shirt collar in both hands, weeping as his father gently shushes him and promises him that life will eventually get better, but right now it just sucks. Shawn shakes his head and sobs into his father’s shirt, and Henry only pulls him closer and rests his cheek against Shawn’s hair.

 

“Gus is  _ dead, _ Dad.”

 

Henry nods slowly. “I know, son, but you’re not, and for that, I can only be grateful.”

 

“Gus died.”

 

Henry turns his face and kisses Shawn’s temple. “Shawn, I don’t know what I’d do if you died. I don’t think I could survive that. I’m just glad that you’re alive.”

 

Maddy places her hand on Shawn’s back and stands on her tiptoes to give Henry a kiss on the cheek. “I didn’t know– when I heard that gunshot, I just –”

 

Henry removes one hand from Shawn’s back and wraps it around Maddy’s shoulder. “Yin is dead.” He shakes his head. “We’re not okay, but we’re alive, and for right now, that’s enough.”

**Author's Note:**

> Like it, love it, hate it? Leave a comment below or go to my tumblr, @ my-glasses-are-dirty, and tell me what you think!
> 
> Added note: should I write a fic where I kill Henry? While Shawn watches?


End file.
